A newcomer in Moomin Valley Chapter one
by Snufkin94
Summary: Moomin Valley is a quiet, and peaceful place, known for it's beauty and tranquility. Yet, as anyone who knows anything at all about it will know, sometimes rather unexpected adventures can pop up out of no where. This is the tale, of the newcomer, and ex-traveler, Sopotito.


Trudging along in the general direction of the bridge within Moomin Valley, Sopotito had found himself struggling to stay awake, his eyes heavily lidded, and body aching from head to toe. Of course, this was his first time being here, leaving him unaware of exactly what was where, thus when the sound of running water reached his ears, he allowed himself to get as close as he dared to in the pitch black of the dark, blindly fumbling until he'd managed to unroll his sleeping tarp, using his large backpack to rest his head against as he flopped over against his padding. Honestly, he didn't really care about just how uncomfortable the ground was beneath him, or the stone that caused a lump to dig into his side. All he cared about, was that he could finally rest again. He knew for a fact that he'd reached Moomin Valley due to the sound of the river. He'd been heading north all night just as he was meant to, having gone through the woods, and over Lonely Mountain just before the sunset, finally having reached the only river in existence here.  
A large yawn leaving his lips, he found himself soon drifting off into a dreamless sleep, unaware of just how close he'd been to the home of another; that person being Snufkin, who currently was fast asleep on the other side of the river by the unseen bridge and ashes of a burnt out fire from hours previous.  
You see, Sopotito was not only a first time visitor to Moomin Valley, but also the newest resident to be. At least, that's what he had come here hoping to achieve. He'd never much cared for houses, or anything of that kind, rather, he loved both of the two extremes, and refused to accept anything else. This love for the extremes came from his life in his homeland of England, having been raised for the first few years of his life within the confines of a large, luxurious manor, having had every possession a person could have asked for; even his own private Butler.  
This though, had all changed over time. These days, he found himself enjoying the furthest extreme possible from his previous life in the lap of luxury, and had been enjoying it for almost 8 years now. That new life, was the life of a traveller. However, after 8 years of wandering from place to place, never gaining any real friends that he'd kept contact with, Sopotito had decided it was about time to settle down, and of all the places he'd heard of from the most interesting of people he'd met; the one most commonly mentioned and praised for its beauty and tranquillity, was Moomin Valley.  
Sopotito, was a considerably normal looking human, standing at a just about the average height for his age, and very slender from his lifestyles of both past and present. His head was dressed within shoulder length tresses of black and purple locks, eyes the same sharp green that one might come to witness of summer time grasses doused in just enough water to keep it fresh and healthy; bright emerald, really.  
Despite slender figure, he was slightly muscled, but only just enough to have it show. Sopotito generally dressed himself in just whatever clothes his hands reached first, usually a baggy t-shirt and an old pair of trousers or another. He only had two pairs of shoes with him, though. They took up too much room, he'd thought when first packing- and very right he was. So rather than wasting vital packing space on shoes he didn't truly need, he simply kept his old favourite pair of scraggy black converses, and his most commonly worn leather combat boots, definitely his overall favourite of all his shoes he used to, and currently owns.  
Finally after around 8 or so hours, the sun had begun to rise, spilling light on the beauty of Moomin Valley, residents waking up one by one until all were awake, or laying in bed until they had no choice left but to get up. Sopotito though, was still fast asleep, his eyes closed, cheek resting on his backpack, black locks spilling around his pale cheeks, usual hat, scarf and gloves resting to one side of him. Who could blame him for sleeping in so long though, after all, he'd been walking for such a very long time without pause.  
After a small amount of time though, Snufkin had risen with a yawn, and a stretch, hand straightening up his hat before he stood himself up, having been about to set about his usual day; only for his eyes to catch sight of the sleeping figure just a few feet away, on the other side of the bridge,  
"Oh my.. A visitor?" His interest having been caught by the sight of a person who seemed to be a traveller like himself, Snufkin made his way across the slightly rickety bridge, until he was stood right by the stranger, lowering to crouch beside the male's sleeping figure. He really was quite the sight to Snufkin, considering how few humans that looked so normal, yet so well groomed passed by. It left him wondering just where on earth he'd come from.  
A low sigh slipping past Sopotito's lips, Snufkin almost jumped after how silent he'd been beforehand. Arching a single brow at the male, Snufkin found himself almost tempted to wake the male up just to speak, though he decided against it for now. Instead, he stood himself up again, dusting off the green top he wore, moving back across to his tent to pull out a stick, attached to which was a row of six chub minnows, fresh caught just the evening before, ready gutted etcetera. Using a few de-barked branches kept especially for such things as this, split half way down the middle on each one, he slipped the minnows into place, using the string that held them to the other stick before to hold them in place, carrying them all within one hand as he used his free hand to pile up some sticks over old ashes, sparking up a match to light the fire. Soon enough he was placing the minnow over the fire, listening to each of the little crackling sounds as he cooked them through over the crimson and amber flames carefully. Usually, he'd only have two or three of these fish for a meal unless it was soup, though today it seemed he had an unexpected guest to invite to eat with him. Still, he was a little bewildered that the person hadn't headed straight to Moomin house, considering that's where almost all the other visitors tended to go to upon arrival in the large valley. Perhaps though, he thought to himself, this stranger arrived during the night; which of course was a very correct conclusion to reach.  
"Snufkin!~" The cry from across the way had caught the male's attention as he was suddenly snapped from his thought, though refusing as always to show that he was shocked by the sudden approach, instead lifting a single hand to wave slightly, before placing his finger to his lips once the white creature reached him, "Shh. We need to be quiet."  
Tilting his head while ears twitched just the once atop his head, Moomintroll, or Moomin as everyone referred to him, had given a whispered response, though not yet having noticed the stranger on the other side of the riverbank, "Why's that, Snufkin?" In response to his question, the youngster received an action, rather than words, Snufkin's arm stretching out as he pointed to the male on the other side of the bridge, "Ohh.. Is he a friend of yours?"  
"No, not yet Moomin. I have a feeling he will be though. Just to look at him, he seems rather friendly, don't you think?" Faint smile reaching Snufkin's lips at last now that he was around company, his deep brown eyes moved back to stare at the minnow, carefully turning each stick one after the other to be sure to cook it through entirely,  
"You're right, but it's a little strange.. Don't new people usually come to my house first?" Moomin asked, still whispering just as Snufkin had earlier motioned to him to do.  
"Mh, I was thinking the same thing, but I think he came in the night so it was probably too dark to see, let alone do anything else but follow his feet." Moomin had nodded after that, obviously understanding what his best friend was on about, only for Snufkin to continue, "If you wouldn't mind Moomin, do you think you could wake him up? I need to keep an eye on the fish. It's almost done." Having been given the task of waking the stranger, Moomin suddenly seemed to grow a little excitable,  
"Uh huh, just leave it to me!" Small mouth giving a smile, Moomin ran across the bridge, surprisingly light footed today, only stopping when he knelt beside Sopotito in a similar way to how Snufkin had done earlier on. Reaching hands and stubby fingers forwards, he gripped the male's shoulder lightly, giving Sopotito a gentle shake, receiving a small, sleepy hum as the initial response, a single emerald eye cracking itself open to stare up at the definitely-not-human creature, possibly one of the Moomins that Sopotito had been told tales about.  
Eccentric but kind, they'd said.


End file.
